”I dag må man gerne se ud som om, at man gør noget ud af sig selv som fyr”

Abstract

The market for non-invasive cosmetic treatments for men has experienced a significant growth in the recent years. This article contributes to the discussion on masculinity and appearance with new empirical data from Denmark, where the male body is increasingly emerging as cosmetically modified in the media. Through qualitative interviews with Danish men aged 27-63, we explore how men who regularly use cosmetic treatments negotiate their experiences in relation to the imperatives, logics, and contradictions of consumer culture. Within this context, we identify prevalent narratives about masculinity, appearance, self-esteem, and aging. We apply affect theory to frame our analysis of the men’s narrative accounts. We argue that while men who use cosmetic treatments experience an increasing acceptance of men’s cosmetic bodywork and feel happy about their cosmetically modified appearances their experiences are, however, also marked by ambiguity, as they also experience pressure to pursue masculine body ideals and hide the signs of ageing. We highlight ‘the natural’ as a dominating ideal for correct and respectable self-presentation in the Danish context.

Keywords

• Cosmetic Treatments
• Botox
• Masculinity
• Qualitative Interviews
• Affect
• Respectability